


The Set Up

by LarirenShadow



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance, Zutara Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 16:30:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1109039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LarirenShadow/pseuds/LarirenShadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“This is just weird,” Zuko complained as Katara began to pace his office.  </p><p>“What’s so weird?  Your best friend is concerned about your love life and wants to help you find someone new,” Katara quipped as she began to stroke her chin while she paced.  “Now tell me your type.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Set Up

**Author's Note:**

> Hello sadladybug! I'm your Zutara Secret Santa! I hope you like this because once I read the first prompt I really wanted to write it! I hope you had a good Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

“This is just weird,” Zuko complained as Katara began to pace his office. 

“What’s so weird? Your best friend is concerned about your love life and wants to help you find someone new,” Katara quipped as she began to stroke her chin while she paced. “Now tell me your type.”

Zuko leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I’m not telling my ex-girlfriend my type.”

“No but maybe I can guess. Let’s see what do Mai and I have in common, besides breaking up with you-”

“Very funny Katara.”

“Don’t interrupt me,” she chided. “Let’s see we can both whip your ass in a sparring match. We both stood up to Azula at one point. We’re both pretty. We, uh, both dated you.”

“I opened up to both of you,” Zuko mumbled.

“Oh that’s good. Now let’s see do I know anyone else like this…” Katara trailed off and began to hum thoughtfully.

“You’ve basically described Suki, who’s taken or Ty Lee.”

“Perfect! Ty Lee it is!” Katara shouted happily.

“I’m not dating Ty Lee,” Zuko deadpanned. 

Katara stopped and turned to glare at him. “Why not? She’s perfect and she’s Fire Nation everyone will be thrilled you started dating a nice Fire Nation girl again.”

“She’s like my sister.”

“I’m going to assume you mean your half-sister.”

“Yes, I meant the sister that’s never tried to kill me. Ty Lee is just as annoying as Kiyi is anyway.”

Katara marched over and smacked the back of his head. “Don’t call your sister annoying!”

“You and Sokka call each other annoying all the time!” Zuko retorted as he rubbed his head.

“He’s older and I grew up with him. Fine, Ty Lee is out. Maybe Toph-”

“She falls under the same category as Ty Lee and _no_. I’d rather not have my body pulverized if we break up.”

“You can’t go into a relationship thinking about what’s going to go wrong.”

“Maybe I don’t want to go into a relationship right now.”

“Not an option, Fire Lord. It’s been six months since we broke up and Iroh and Ursa are worried about you getting caught up in your work again and getting burned out at 25 and asked me to go knock some sense into you.” Zuko just let his head fall onto his desk at her rant.

“I can’t believe they still talk to you,” his response was mumbled by the wood.

She began to rub his back gently. “There, there, you know that they both like me and worry about you. Plus they know I’d happily come here to make you take a break.”

He turned his head to face her, exposing his entire scar. “And dating helps because?”

She gently brushed the hair off his face. “It distracts you a little and gives you a reason to not eat in your office every night. Besides you’ve only dated two girls-”

“Three.”

“Oh who’s the other one?”

“Some Earth Kingdom pea-,” Katara scowled, “I mean girl I met while I was a refugee in Ba Sing Se.” Katara hummed and again and Zuko didn’t like the look in her eyes. “If you bring Jin here-”

“Jin’s her name? Maybe I can get Iroh to look her up-”

Zuko’s head shot up to see Katara walking out of his office. “Katara, no! I’ll, uh, I’ll try Ty Lee!” 

“You can’t date your sister Zuko,” she said before closing the door behind her.

~*~*~  
Two weeks later Katara dragged him out of his office and off to his room. Once inside she made a mess of his clothes by looking for, in her words, his best nice casual attire. Once an appropriate outfit was picked she shoved the bundle of fabric into his arms and pushed him into the bathroom to change. Muttering under his breath about pushy waterbenders, Zuko changed and silently admitted that the clothes she picked were comfortable and practical for the inevitable date he’d figured he was going on.

Upon exiting the bathroom Katara clicked her tongue and marched right up to him. “What?” he asked.

“Your hair is all wrong,” she said as she pulled his flame crown out of his topknot (he refrained from telling her that what she’d just done was an offense punishable by imprisonment) before yanking his topknot out. “Sit down while I fix your hair.”

“No stupid Water Tribe style.”

“Haha, I’m just going to pull the top part into a half ponytail. At least if your hair will cooperate, you have strands in the front that are too short to be pulled back,” Katara complained as she tied his hair back.

“That’s why I keep my hair in a topknot because those actually stay there.”

“Done, now you’re going to dinner at the Golden Peony and Jin is meeting you there. She’s already a little weirded out that ‘Lee’ turned out to be ‘Fire Lord Zuko’ but she’s apparently willing to give it try or at least accept a vacation to the Fire Nation to go on a date,” Katara rambled as she pushed him towards the door.

“Don’t I at least get to see how I look?” He asked.

“You look great, you know you do, and you’re late now get a move on!”

“Fire Lords aren’t late.”

“But just Zuko is.”

Since he was already late Zuko waved away his palanquin, deciding that walking was a much more plausible excuse for late and might make Jin feel slightly less intimidated about the date. That is if she hadn’t already left, which Zuko kind of hoped she had. He deliberately walked at a leisurely pace and even contemplated buying Jin some flowers on the way (he didn’t, he wasn’t sure if she’d like fire lilies and panda lilies were out of the question and the roses looked half dead).

Unfortunately the hostess greeted him with a smile and said his date was here and waiting.

He smiled awkwardly as he took a seat across the table from the Earth Kingdom girl. She looked out of place in her green dress and about ready to run from her posture. “Hello Fire-” she began.

“Just Zuko or Lee tonight, ok? It’s already weird enough that you’re here and, well, sorry about that time I was on a date with another girl and you were there and you’re laughing at me?” Jin was now clutching her sides as she laughed harder.

“I’m sorry it’s just,” she hiccuped and began wiping away the tears in her eyes, “this whole thing is ridiculous. I mean the boy I went on a date with who lied to me about juggling and said that he doesn’t do anything for fun is actually the Fire Lord.”

Zuko smiled a little at that. “Well I still don’t do anything for fun.”

Jin giggled again as she picked up her tea cup. “Maybe ornamental firebending could be fun? I’m sure whoever you talk to during the day would love to see a koalaotter made of fire floating around.”

“I’m much more of a turtleduck person,” his admission earned another giggle from Jin which also caused her to spill some of her tea down the front of her dress. “Gravel,” she muttered as she tried to wipe the tea off. 

Zuko raised his hand and flagged down a waiter. “Can you get something to help her clean up?”

“Of course, my lord,” he said with a bow. 

“And menus, we don’t have any,” Zuko added.

“Actually your food should be on its way, my lord.” With that the waiter turned and walked away.

Zuko coughed a little. “I’m sorry I was so late you had to order,” he apologized.

“Hmm,” Jin said as she looked up from her dress. “Oh no, apparently whoever set up the date here planned the entire menu.”

“Katara,” Zuko muttered under his breath.

“Who?”

Zuko felt his good check warm. “Uh, Katara, my, well, my ex-girlfriend and friend who kind of set all this up.”

"You still talk with her?" Jin asked.

Zuko smiled sheepishly. "She's also kind of staying in the palace."

“Oh,” Jin said as she sits back a little in her chair. “That’s a little different.”

“Well she’s my best friend too. Plus the best bending partner I’ve ever had and she’s always there to listen when I need to rant about anything but especially when I want to rant about one of my stupid councilmen.”

Zuko watched Jin carefully take her tea cup in two hands this time and bring it to her lips. “I’ve said something awkward, haven’t I?”

Jin smiled a little. “You did, it’s kind of weird to hear you talk about your ex-girlfriend who lives with you.”

“The palace is really big.”

“It’s also kind of weird to hear you say that’s where you live.”

Zuko looked down at his hands. “Right, I mean, you knew me as a tea server and-” Zuko stopped when a bowl of food was placed in front of him. A fresh set of napkins were placed discreetly on the edge of the table as well.

“Enjoy your meal,” the waiter said with a little bow.

He looked up to see Jin biting her lip. “He didn’t say what this is,” she complained mildly.

He already had a bit halfway to his mouth. “It’s yellow curry with jasmine rice. It’s my favorite.” 

Jin pushed her food around with her chopsticks a little. “Your ex-girlfriend set you up on a date and planned to serve your favorite food.”

Zuko shrugged. “The food was probably my uncle’s or mother’s suggestion. Apparently they’re both worried and think I work too much.”

Jin took a bite of her food. “Oh this is good and I understand. My mother keeps telling me I should date more. When I got the invitation she jumped at the chance for me.”

“But you didn’t? Was our first date really that bad?”

She shifted in her seat. “Well, uh, kind of. The kiss was good, really good, but other parts not so much.” Zuko stared at her admission and then could have sworn the curry the dripped on her dress actually flew to it. “Oh not again!”

“Let me help,” Zuko offered as he reached across the table. In the process he knocked over his teacup and managed to make a bigger mess. He quickly began mopping up the mess he made. “Sorry.”

“No it’s fine and this is actually going a little better than our last date.”

Zuko grinned. “Good. So, uh, what do you do in the Earth Kingdom?”

“I work in a flower shop also I’m, well, I’m kind of seeing someone,” she admitted.

“But you said-”

“I said my mother keeps telling me to date more. I never said I told her that I’m dating because he works at night so we have a lot of lunch dates. I was about to bring him home to meet her when this invitation came. I didn’t think I could say no.”

Zuko blushed. “Sorry for all this and I hope it works out with him.”

“I, at least, got a trip to the Fire Nation out of it.”

“Well finish eating and I’ll walk you back to where you’re staying and maybe tomorrow I can give you a tour.”

“Why not today?”

“I was pulled away from my desk by a pushy waterbender who wants me to relax more and I have to go back and tell her you have a boyfriend. Not to mention I probably have a bunch of guards worried as to where I’ve run off to this time.”

“I’ll hurry up then, can’t be found with a fugitive Fire Lord.”

They finished quickly and as they walked to where Jin was staying she told Zuko all about her boyfriend. By the time he dropped her off he knew the boy worked in a bar, was currently applying to Ba Sing Se University, has an older sister who’s an earthbender and he himself is an earthbender, and likes every fruit he’s ever tasted. She also told him her thoughts on Katara which made him think. After a quick hug goodnight Zuko hurried back home.

He debated going straight to bed but knew he still had a few things to finish before tomorrow. He opened his office door and found Katara leaning against his desk.

“Here to tell me to go to bed?” He asked as he sat down.

“Yes, well no, look I’m going to admit something that I don’t usually do so pay attention,” she said without turning to face him.

“Say it to my face.”

She turned around and looked down at his desk. “You were right,” she mumbled.

He stood and leaned over and took her chin in his hand. He raised her head so she could look him in the eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t understand what you mumbled.”

She rolled her eyes. “I said you were right, I am the jealous type.”

“Oh?”

“I kind of spied on your date and every time she’d make you laugh or smile I might have used my bending to spill things.”

“Oh.”

She pulled away from him and glared. “Oh? That’s all you have to say? I just admitted to you being right about me and this is why I broke up with you! Our fight about this was our last one and all you have to say is ‘oh?!’ Spirits Zuko I’m trying to tell you that we broke up because I didn’t want to admit you were right and I’m sorry!”

Zuko smirked. “Jin was right.”

“What!” She shrieked.

He held up his hands. “Calm down! She said that you really weren’t over me and that I definitely wasn’t over you. She also says that I apparently get a kind of goofy grin on my face when I talk about you.” It was Katara’s turn to say ‘oh.’ They stared at each other for a little. “So now what?” He asked.

“You could kiss me,” she offered.

“Right but after that?” 

Katara rolled her eyes. “How about we both say we’re sorry for what we said and plan a date.”

Zuko nodded. “Sounds good and I’ll write to Mom and Uncle and tell them we got back together. They keep saying how wonderful you are in all their letters and how much of a shame it is we broke up.”

She reached over and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “You never told me that!”

“Well I was kind of annoyed that you wouldn’t admit to being jealous.”

“Come over here so we can kiss and makeup before I get mad at you again.”

He did kiss her. And, because Zuko knew her so well, he took Katara with him when he showed Jin around the city.


End file.
